What's a heating blanket if it doesn't make things hot?

Actually it's called SoftHeat. It should be safer than the old Sunbeam, but whether it will still be working in 5, 10, 20+ years like the old Sunbeams, who knows since it has a 16V 3.5A switch-mode power supply to derive the 16V DC it operates on. I suppose it could run on a big battery if all else failed..:scratch2:

Hot, but not to kindling point hopefully!

Could also find an appropriate printer power brick, or a beefy stepdown transformer....Heater wire don't care if it gets 16VDC or 16VAC (rms).

I don't think low voltage or DC operation makes the new ones safer (if the PS has enough overload, etc. protections built in IT might make it safer)....If you have ever had a starter motor short out in a BIG old American car and seen the sparks thrown off by the terminals, or built an output-transformer-less tube amp using 8 6AS7 tubes (with a heater draw of 2.5A @ 6.3V for each tube) and ran the 20A of heater current through wire rated for 11A (it was a temporary proof of concept test build) and watched it smoke, short and catch fire you would not find the low voltage alone to be more fire safe....

I doubt the controller unit between the power supply and the blanket that varies the heat, detects problems with the elements, and auto-shuts off after 10 hours would like AC.:no:

I figured the controller was part of the power supply and would get tossed with it upon failure....Not hard to rectify and filter AC.
Last time I had a heating pad (not a full blanket) was in the 90's, and that was a 60's or 70's model.

I like the Plutonium based blankets from the 50's, the radioactive decay provides the heat, and of course four out of five Doctors recommend it.. :D

This is the type I grew up with:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Two-Vintage-...-/260887109668

Parents and grandparents both had several blankets using that type of control. Note the power plug. The absence of a large flared surface at the point the blades come through dates it to sometime prior to the mid 1970s; anything later would have a more modern plug. Also, a polarized plug almost definitely means 70s or later.

I would not work on these . .I go through them yearly since they are are so cheaply made.I'll probably get away this year because I got a living throw.She keeps me warm in bed and her name is Buttons the cat.

Other stuff with heating elements which could be a safety hazard if something is overlooks are coffee pots ,toasters,hot plates.

A notable exception to that polarization rule is Sears...TVs I have a 1963 roundy and a late 60's Japanese portable, and both have polarized cords and interlocks.

Um, roundy electric blanket? :scratch2: Never seen one. Always rectangular in shape.

The OP was talking about electric blanket control plugs, not TVs....

No, I was speaking generally. And yes, gramps' kitchen Portacolor had a polarized plug, but I never happened to pull it back in the day. The first time I ever saw a plug that fit only one way was around 1976 I'm pretty sure.

Ah man.....

You guys are nuts.... There are more electric blanket recalls and complaints than
the giant dehumidifier recall posted here last summer..... And the failure rate seems
to be much much higher..... go search the great wizard..... I would rather have an
electric space heater pointed at the bed..... And yah I accadentally covered it with a
regular blanket for 4+ hours and it's circuit protection kept it from fire, but really
deformed the cabinet..... It's about 20 yrs. old now, and needless to say, THAT is the
one I'm Keeping..... But I'll never use it like that again, we just got more bigger
regular blankets......

.

I use an electric throw - it safely stays on for 3 hours max. It's sandwiched between the flannel top sheet and the comforter, and uses about 27 watts. It operates for three hours, plenty of time to get warm for the night's sleep. Not tonight, though - with 74 degree daytime temps, it'll stay off...

As to recalls, baby and toddler stuff (cribs, beds, toys) still leads the way, followed by automobiles. I think electric appliances are a distant 6th, behind gas-powered tools (mowers, snow-blowers,..death and mayhem...), jewelry (child choke hazard and cadmium/lead...), and lighting. Just more of the preceding stuff - cars vs. electric blankets in sheer quantities...cars for the win!

Can you tell I was a Safety Analyst/Risk Assesor once? And that I subscribe to the CPSC feed on recalls? You can never have too much info, I figure, and it's our tax dollars to boot....

Cheers,